Google Announces Android Mobile OS

Rumors about GPhone have been running since a long time. People expected the Google to come out with a revolutionary mobile device which will probably give some competition to Apple’s iPhone, but Google actually had a plan of their own.

Instead of working on a single mobile phone, Google has announced a Linux based mobile operating system called Android, and it will be freely available under mobile open source license. Google has partnered with 34 companies including Sprint, HTC, LG, T-Mobile, Motorola, Nvidia, and eBay. Android-based handsets are expected to roll out to costumers in second half of 2008.

Next week, Android Software Development Kit (SDK) will be handed over to developers, so that they can build third party apps for the forthcoming mobile operating system. By giving a head start to developers, Google is expecting lots of third party apps by the time Android-based phones start shipping. I’m really curious to see what Android has to offer for die-hard mobile users.